TROY TROJANS NEWS

Willis accounts for 3 TDs, leads Liberty over Troy 21-13

Malik Willis threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Liberty to a 21-13 victory over Troy

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Deyunkrea Lewis - Catches first career TD Lewis had two catches for 29 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 21-13 loss to Liberty.

Impact Lewis accomplished a career milestone Saturday, snagging his first career touchdown pass in the waning seconds at Veterans Memorial Stadium against Liberty. He'll look to build on this against Southern Miss next week.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Luke Whittemore - Leads Trojans in receiving Whittemore had three catches for 71 yards in Saturday's 21-13 loss to Liberty.

Impact Whittemore's 71 yards led Troy by a mile, as the next best Trojan had just 37. The junior wideout has to be excited about playing Southern Miss next week, as he tied his career high in receiving yards with 110 against the Golden Eagles in 2019.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

B.J. Smith - Runs for TD against Liberty Smith had five carries for 17 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 21-13 loss to Liberty. He added one catch for eight yards.

Impact All five of Smith's carries came on the first drive of the game for the Trojans on Saturday, including his five-yard touchdown. The sixth-year senior will look for more work against Southern Miss next week.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Kimani Vidal - Used in running and passing game Vidal had 11 carries for 38 yards in Saturday's 21-13 loss to Liberty. He added five catches for 37 yards.

Impact Vidal was Troy's leading rusher and second-leading receiver against Liberty, as the Trojans were trying anything to get the freshman involved. He had games with seven and eight catches in 2020, which bodes well for his fantasy production both in the present and the future.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Taylor Powell - Solid in loss Powell completed 18 of 25 passes for 211 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Saturday's 21-13 loss to Liberty.

Impact The day started with a touchdown drive and ended with a touchdown drive for Powell, but the middle parts weren't as successful. Five of Troy's nine possessions ended in punts, and Powell threw a costly pick after the Troy defense got a stop to open the second half. Still, completing 72 percent of your passes isn't a bad thing. The Trojans will look to turn it around against Southern Miss next week, a team that Sun Belt brethren South Alabama beat 31-7 in Week 1.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

#PMARSHONAU: How NIL is changing college football Former Auburn nose guard Tommy “T.J.” Jackson experienced the best of college football. He played on an unbeaten team in 2004. He made All-S...

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 • 247SPORTS.COM

STAT WATCH: Walker's 264 yards most in an opener in 7 years

Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III turned in the best rushing performance in a Football Bowl Subdivision season opener in seven years when he went for a career-high 264 yards agai...

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Deshon Stoudemire - Grabs TD in win Stoudemire reeled in two catches for 35 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 55-3 win over Southern.

Impact Stoudemire made an impression in his first career game, linking up with Taylor Powell for a 17-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. He'll look to build on this against Liberty next week.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Luke Whittemore - Snags three passes in opener Whittemore had three catches for 52 yards in Saturday's 55-3 win over Southern.

Impact After a rough 2020 that saw Whittemore catch just seven passes for 75 yards in six games, the junior receiver had a nice night against Southern on Saturday. He'll look to build on this performance against Liberty next week.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Tez Johnson - Leads team in receiving in opener Johnson had five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 55-3 win over Southern.

Impact Johnson led the Trojans in catches and receiving yards against the Jaguars, and connected with Taylor Powell on a 26-yard pass to score his first career touchdown. His five snags and 92 yards on the day are both career highs.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

B.J. Smith - Rushes for TD in opener Smith had 10 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 55-3 win over Southern.

Impact Smith made the most of his carries against the Jaguars, averaging 5.4 yards a pop while punching one in from five yards out. While Kimani Vidal remains RB1 for Troy, Smith figures to see a steady stream of action if he can keep these numbers up.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Kimani Vidal - Rushes for TD in opener Vidal had 15 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 55-3 win over Southern.

Impact Vidal led the Trojans in carries on Saturday and averaged 5.4 yards a pop on the day. He was also responsible for Troy's longest rushing play of the day, a 37-yard sprint that ended in the endzone. While B.J. Smith and Jamontez Woods each got 10 or more carries, Vidal is RB1 in Troy until further notice.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Taylor Powell - Shines in opener Powell completed 17 of 28 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Saturday's 55-3 win over Southern. He also had one carry for one yard and a touchdown.

Impact The Missouri transfer was strong in his first game as a Trojan, completing 61 percent of his passes and connecting with Tez Johnson and Deshon Stoudemire for touchdowns. His one interception did come in the red zone, but the junior bounced right back and followed his mistake up with two consecutive touchdown-scoring drives. An intriguing opportunity for Troy to make a statement comes next week when the Liberty Flames come to Veterans Memorial Stadium.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Jacob Free - Moves on from playing career Free informed the Troy staff earlier in the summer that he would leave the program after accepting a position to coach quarterbacks at Straughn High School in Andalusia, Ala., Josh...

Impact Free was included in a three-man competition in the spring for Troy's starting quarterback job with Gunnar Watson and Missouri transfer Taylor Powell, but the 6-foot-5 signal-caller ultimately chose to forgo his final two years of eligibility to retire as a player shortly before training camp. He earned his degree from Troy in December and will put it to use as he transitions into coaching. Free, who had previous stops at Vanderbilt and Northwest Mississippi Community College before landing at Troy in 2019, saw his lone game action with the Trojans in 2020. He appeared in six games and made two starts, completing 88 of 152 pass attempts for 1,051 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions while adding another score on the ground.

AUGUST 30, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Gunnar Watson - Loses out on starting gig Watson will serve as the backup in Troy's season opener versus Southern, Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports reports.

Impact The incumbent to the position, Watson was vying for the starting job with Missouri transfer Taylor Powell and ultimately got beat out during fall camp. The sophomore could wind up contributing at some point should Powell struggle or miss time but he shouldn't be expected to see the field to open the campaign.

AUGUST 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Taylor Powell - Wins starting job Powell has been named the starting quarterback for Troy's opener versus Southern, Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports reports.

Impact Powell was in a battle with Gunnar Watson in camp to land the job but ultimately bested him to land the job after transferring in from Missouri last December. He has completed less than 50 percent of his passes in his two stints under center with Missouri but could find better success at a smaller school with a lower level of opposition.

AUGUST 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Pick Six: Bell, Enagbare among nation's best on losing teams

Some of the top players in college football every year are on struggling teams

AUGUST 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Devan Barrett - Chooses Troy Barrett has committed to continue his college career at Troy, per his personal Twitter page.

Impact Barrett didn't have much of a role at Auburn since his freshman season back in 2017, when he ran 14 times for 79 yards and reeled in 10 passes for another 33 yard a touchdown. He has decided to close out his playing career with the Trojans, who already sport a decent amount of talent at the position.

AUGUST 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Taylor Powell - Hoping to push for QB1 spot Powell and Gunnar Watson will compete for the starting quarterback job during fall camp, The Montgomery Advertiser reports.

Impact Powell transferred from Missouri back in December after three seasons with the Tigers. Gunnar Watson was very solid last season for Troy, but clearly the coaching staff believes in Powell's talent and this competition is expected to go all the way down to the wire.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Gunnar Watson - Big QB battle coming up Watson will battle Taylor Powell for the starting quarterback position in fall camp, The Montgomery Advertiser reports.

Impact Watson knows the system better and threw for 2,141 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. Powell is a transfer from Missouri and might have a higher ceiling. According to coach Chip Lindsay, it may come down to turnovers. It sounds like we aren't going to know who will be taking snaps for Troy until very close to the opener on Sept. 4.

AUGUST 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Brooks Buce - Lands with Troy Buce announced Tuesday via his personal Twitter account that he is transferring to Troy.

Impact Buce announced in January that he intended to transfer from Georgia after losing out on the starting placekicker duties with the Bulldogs last season. Buce, who did tally five touchbacks on six kickoffs in 2020, should have a better chance to serve as the primary kicker with the Trojans.

JULY 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Troy Trojans: CFN College Football Preview 2021 College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Troy season with what you need to know. – Contact/Follo...

MAY 18, 2021 • COLLEGEFOOTBALLNEWS.COM

Caleb Ross on Troy LB Carton Martial: 1 of a kind Carlton Martial was an anchor on coach Caleb Ross' football teams at McGill-Toolen. The two are now together again at Troy.

APRIL 14, 2021 • AL.COM

Atlantic football coach T.J. Jackson steps down after eight seasons Atlantic coach T.J. Jackson leaves the Eagles' program after eight years, a state-title appearance and a Tri-County championship.

FEBRUARY 9, 2021 • SUN-SENTINEL.COM